


The Lucky and the Strong

by Ceares



Category: Fast and the Furious Series, Fastlane
Genre: Character(s) of Color, Crossover, Crossover Pairings, F/F, F/M, Female Character of Color, Femslash, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-08
Updated: 2014-05-08
Packaged: 2018-01-19 17:35:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 17,798
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1478227
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ceares/pseuds/Ceares
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Candystore is given a special case during which, past,present and future collide.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Lucky and the Strong

**Author's Note:**

> First this is for Denyce who is an unbelievable beta, and who made this so much better than it was, and believe me, anything disappointing left is all me. To Felicia who is always there to beta for me, even if she's not into the pairing or fandom. Can.Not.Thank you.Enough. Both of you.

The familiar crack of gunfire had Billie edging cautiously into the room, her own gun drawn. Sara was standing, hand clasped against her side. She looked up, eyes meeting Billie's and then she seemed to fall in slow motion. Billie scanned the room quickly before she ran to Sara. The red stain was already spreading by the time Billie made it over to where she lay. Billie immediately pressed one hand down against the wound, dragging out her phone and calling for an ambulance with the other.

Sara groaned, eyes opening. She grabbed Billie's sleeve. "Shit! I got shot again?"

Billie swallowed hard. "Yeah. You gotta stop that."

She gave Billie a weak grin. "No shit. Are Letty and Cassidy okay?"

Billie had to strain to hear the choked whisper. " I don't know."

"Can you..."

"In a minute, okay?" Billie really hoped they were okay but they weren't her priority right now. Sara's hand loosened, slipping away from Billie's sleeve to fall limp, her eyes closing again . Billie stifled a rising sense of panic. Sara's blouse was soaked crimson and so was the floor under her. Billie pressed down harder, trying to stem the flow.

She couldn't help be reminded of the last time they were in this position. Sara hadn't been hurt badly then, at least not physically but the pain in her eyes told a different story. It wasn't that Sara had asked too many questions, she just asked the wrong ones and Billie let her. It was easier than admitting she'd broken her own rule and fallen for the mark.

"Come on, don't do this. Please. I still owe you lunch."

That got her another weak smile, and Sara's eyes fluttering open again. Billie could hear shouting and gun shots, but not the wail of sirens she was praying for. More gun shots and she couldn't think about what was going on out there. She had to trust that Van and Deaq had her back.

She added more pressure to the wound, sending up a silent prayer for them to hurry. Her only focus was Sara. It had to be when she could lose her between one breath and the next.

 

 

**Two months ago:**

 

Strong hands slid over her skin, and she arched into them with a groan of pleasure. "I don't know what I'd do without you, Maggie."

The masseuse harrumphed. "Maybe you wouldn't work yourself into knots and you might even learn to relax sometime."

Billie grinned up at the older woman. "Nah, I'd probably just take up smoking again."

Maggie slapped her on the ass, the sharp sting making her jump. "You'd better not."

Billie's phone rang and this time her groan was one of frustration. "Shit!"

Maggie pushed down on a particularly tense spot and Billie couldn't help the sigh of pleasure she released. She swore sometimes this was better than sex. Or well, just as good anyway.

"Just ignore it."

It was tempting. They actually had a rare weekend off, like normal people and she really wished she'd just shut her phone off completely instead of letting it go directly to voice mail, that way she wouldn't even have to feel guilty about not taking calls. She sighed and checked her caller id. When she saw Parish's name though, she knew she had to return his call. He was one of the few -- very few, as in she could count on one hand -- people she would come running for, no matter when they called. She listened to the message. It was short and to the point. A simple 'call me'. She knew if it had been urgent, he would have used one of their code words, so she wasn't worried.

Maggie wrapped up the massage with a good natured grumble and Billie waited until after she was dressed and on the way to her car before she hit four on her speed dial. Parrish answered after one ring, letting her know he'd been waiting on her call.

"Hi."

_"Billie. I was wondering if you're free for lunch today?"_

Short notice meant something was up, and the fact that he wanted to talk in person, instead of over the phone meant it was something off the grid.

"For you, sure. Where do you want to meet?"

_"Lodies?"_

Out of the way meant _way_ off the grid. They hadn't met at Lodie's since she was first trying to put the Candy Store together, and they hadn't wanted anyone to know about it until she had everything in place.

She glanced at her watch. It was two PM and she was going to hit traffic no matter what. "I'll be there in an hour." She hung up the phone with a sigh. So much for a nice relaxing weekend off.

 

&&&&&&&&&&

Lodie's was a little out of the way diner they had been going to for years, through high school and college and even when she'd first joined the police force. They wanted to avoid anything that looked like favoritism, and a rookie having lunch with her Captain would definitely raise flags. Over the years Lodies had become the place they went when they wanted to be incognito. It was close to where Billie grew up and had great food even though it was all deep-fried and swimming in enough salt, fat and cholesterol to kill an elephant.

The owner had moved to Los Angeles from Georgia years ago and he didn't believe a food existed that couldn't be made better by frying it and pouring gravy over it. The food was good enough to almost make a person believe it too. Billie was glad she lived too far away to make it a habit or she'd have to add an extra hour to her daily workout.

They were both off duty but still in public and so she greeted Bob with a warm smile instead of the hug she would have preferred. He had yet another exemption in her life. He was one of the few she volunteered physical affection to.

Bob Parish though, had saved her life, figuratively and maybe literally as well--more than once.  
He was the man who caught her sister's killer, the man who got her angry, stupid, grief stricken sixteen year old self off the streets and back home with her mother. He was the reason she was a cop. Bob was the one who sat with her while she kicked heroin cold turkey the first time. The one who convinced her she could still do the job. The one who supported her when she wanted to put together the Candy Store, who stood behind her when things went to hell the first round. He was the exception to a lot of rules, and always would be. He'd earned the right to be on a very short list.

They ordered lunch and caught up with each other. Billie didn't push him. She knew he would get to the point in his own time.

They were half way finished when he sighed and spoke with obvious reluctance. "Roland Hill."

"Oh hell no, Bob!" She wanted to get up and leave. Only respect for the man across from her kept her in her seat. Her dislike of Hill wasn't faked or exaggerated at all. She hated the man and she had a feeling he felt the same about her. They might have the same aims but they were exactly opposite in the ways they achieved them. He didn't believe in coloring outside the lines, and Billie had been doing nothing but that her whole life.

He held up a hand. "I know how you feel about him, and it's not like he's any fonder of you, but this is his set up and I need you in on this."

Billie sighed. "And what exactly is _this_?"

Bob took a sip of his drink, and began to fill her in.

 

 

&&&&&&&&&&

 

Hill met them back at the Candy Store. Billie was slightly amused that he'd sent Bob to grease the way. It was actually a smart move. There was no way he'd have made it past the first sentence if he'd approached her directly. He'd brought all the pertinent files, and when they weren't busy glaring at each other, they went over the information.

"All three of the women volunteered. Given a choice, I wouldn't want the Candy Store involved at all. As much as it pains me to admit it though, you're the best game in town for this."

Billie crossed her arms, cocking a brow in disbelief. "Well, color me shocked."

"Don't be. I'm serious. I may think you're little group is going to fall into the abyss at any minute, but this guy, whoever he is, is already there. He's dirtying up my department and I want him. Let me make this clear though. I think this is going to be a cluster fuck. When it is, it's going to be huge black mark against the Candy Store." Hill shook his head. "The sad part is, this time I'm actually hoping I'm wrong -- I won't be, because I'm never wrong, but I'd actually like to see you succeed with this one."

"Just whose idea was it to use Cassidy Shaw and Sara Matthews?" Like she couldn't guess. No doubt Hill got a chubby just thinking about the kind of trouble he was causing.

Bob stepped in. "It was mine actually. We don't have a lot of time and I figured it might be easier if you didn't have to get used to completely new people." He pointed to the photo of the dark haired, sullen looking woman. "Cortez is the Fed's idea. She's their girl. We don't know anything about her except what's in her file. Look, Billie. I know we're taking a big chance here but unfortunately it's our best option at this point. We don't know who we can trust inside the department. I can understand your hesitation about working with criminals after what happened with McKussik, but you've dealt with Shaw and Matthews before."

Hill shook his head. "Not my idea at all, though your history with them does up the amusement factor. They're still dirtbags though. Captain Parish thinks the AGs will identify with them. A kind of bad girl's club if you will. I don't care how familiar you are with them though. I don't want any of them out of your sight for a second until this goes down. You sleep, eat and shit with them."

Billie rolled her eyes. "You're so charming, Hill."

"I leave charming to you and your pretty boy cops. I'm just here to get the job done." He tapped the top folder. "You've got three weeks to get them ready to go in."

"That's bullshit, Roland and you know it."

He shrugged, mouth curving into the smirk that made Billie want to punch him in the face repeatedly. "It's what you've got. This was only okayed in the quarterly budget. If they're not under and showing some results by the time it's up for review, the whole thing gets cancelled. The girls are back where they were. The AGs stay on the streets and the Candy Store finally proves what I've been saying all along." He shrugged. "Besides, they're already criminals. It's not like you have to teach them to steal."

"Fuck you!"

He smirked again. "From what I've heard, I'm not your type."

Billie folded her arms giving him her own smirk. "Yeah, but it's because you are a dick, not because you have one."

She could see Bob wincing in the background and she knew they sounded like a couple of toddlers. Filthy mouthed toddlers, but children non-the-less. Hill brought out the worst in her under the best of circumstances, and this certainly wasn't that, but she bit back any additional retorts so Bob wouldn't feel like he needed to step in. It wasn't like Hill wasn't partially right any way, as much as it pained her to admit it. This assignment had the potential to implode in their faces before it ever got off the ground.

 

Billie waited until they were gone to let loose the stream of invectives she'd been holding in, mostly out of respect for Bob. Van actually working with Cassidy Shaw was a train wreck in the making but he _could_ manage. No matter what her personal feelings were, she would manage to work with Sara -- she was a professional and she'd keep it that way. Hill could kiss her ass if he thought that after all they'd been through to hold on to the Candy Store, she was about to let this screw it up.

First things first. She had to find out everything she could about the AG's. She was sure the information Hill provided was accurate but she never trusted her people with anybody's research except her own.

 

&&&&&&&&&&

 

Billie waited until that night to call Van night and tell him they were going to have to cut short their weekend, and that she expected them early the next morning. She wanted a chance to brief them on things before the women showed up, but she didn't see any reason to ruin the rest of their day off. Van predictably bitched, which made her smile, though she'd never let him know that. She left it to him to let Deaq know since they were usually together anyway these days. She didn't know when they had gone from being more than just partners on the job but she was pretty sure they had.

Not that she cared really, or was in a place to judge. She'd slipped across the line between business and personal more than once. Besides, after everything, they were like family to her and she wanted them to be happy. As long as it didn't interfere with the job, it wasn't a problem for her. She thought if anything, it actually seemed to help them on the job. It kept Van from getting so caught up with the mark that he was distracted. She wasn't happy at the though of Cassidy disrupting that.

 

She sighed and opened up the folder on Letty Cortez again. If they were going to do this, she needed to know their strengths and weaknesses inside and out. She wanted to make sure this went off as smoothly as possible. Billie couldn't help but laugh to herself. Yeah, like that was going to happen. She couldn't remember the last time they'd had an easy one and working with amateurs and the distractions that came along with them wasn't going to make this one any better.

She read through the file and then opened the others again, and started putting together a game plan that was hopefully going to get everybody what they wanted and keep everybody as safe as possible. She was good at this. Billie thrived on the challenge. This was the part of her that could have easily been the lawyer her mother and Bob wanted her to be. The other part of her though, knew it would have been a slow death. Sitting in an office every day, wearing a suit, compromising and making deals she couldn't believe in. Billie looked around the Candy Store at all the shiny toys, a story behind each one. A dirtbag off the street behind every story. No, this was her place. She knew that even if in her darkest hours she doubted it sometimes. She knew Bob understood even if he wasn't happy about it, but her mom still threw in hints about how she wasn't too old to go back to school, or told stories about her friend’s kids who had nice, safe lucrative jobs.

It was a good thing Billie loved her mother so much otherwise she'd find ways to avoid their weekly conversations and monthly brunch. She knew it wasn't that her mother wasn't proud of her so much as the fact that she'd already lost one daughter and lived in fear of losing another one. The truth was, Billie couldn't promise her that wouldn't happen. She could only make sure she never, ever told her mother just how close and how often she had brushed hands with death. As far as her mother knew, she delegated, and sat behind a desk -- never out in the field. Bob did what he could to keep up the illusion, yet another reason Billie owed him, _loved_ him, like the father she'd never known.

 

 

&&&&&&&&&&

 

Deaq stared at Billie incredulously. "You're kidding right?" It was too fucking early on a Saturday morning to have to deal with this, and all the coffee in the world wasn't going to help.

Deaq wasn't any happier than Van about having their weekend cut short or about having to go in at the crack ass of dawn, but he didn't whine about it like Van did, until Deaq found more interesting things to do with his mouth. Now he was starting to wish he'd agreed to Van's joking plan to just blow Billie off. Instead he was going to be forced to deal with two of his least favorite people. Hill of course went without saying. Anybody meeting the man would instantly dislike him. Cassidy though was a different story. Deaq couldn't get past her part in his brother's death. Hell he appreciated her taking out Kane but still, there it was. Even if he could deal with it, that girl wound his partner up way too tight. So not only did he have to worry about the case, and the girls, but he had to worry about keeping Van's head on straight too.

 

Billie shrugged, rolling a cigarette between her fingers in an agitated gesture. "I wish I was."

"And we have three weeks to get them ready to go undercover with no experience. Is Hill trying to get them killed?" Deaq really, really hated Hill.

Van leaned forward, leafing through the folder. "Why don't they just use cops?"

"Because they think there's a mole in the department. Four months ago the LAPD received information about a job the AGs were planning. When they made the raid though, the AGs seemed to know they were coming. Two cops were injured. One died later."

"So they decided to use us." Van gestured to the folders on the desk. "And them. What do they get out of it?"

"They get a clean slate. According to Hill, they get off probation, sealed records, and a chance to start over again. At least Cassidy and Sara do. The other girl, Letty Cortez, she apparently has some deal with the Feds. She has a little experience from what I understand. And Sara and Cassidy aren't exactly novices."

Deaq frowned. "Maybe not, but they aren't cops either and they're not trained for this. They're still taking a big chance." Trying to get them ready to go undercover, trying to deal with the history that Sara and Cassidy brought with them...the emotions they engendered in Billie and Van, it was going to be a fucking nightmare. His fucking nightmare.

Billie sighed. "I know. I think maybe they don't though. And we won't be able to go in with them. It's going to be entirely in their hands. That's why we need to make sure they're ready for this."

Deaq found himself watching Van as his partner stared at the files. He sighed and leaned back in his chair, rubbing a hand over his face. "Hell, I don't think I'm ready for this."

 

&&&&&&&&&&

 

Hill showed up with the girls, but to everybody's relief, he didn't stay long. Billie assumed he was there to check and make sure everybody was in place. Sara greeted them all with an abrupt nod, then claimed the end of the table farthest from them all. Cassidy on the other hand, greeted them all like long lost friends, her grin brightest when she settled practically on top of Van. Billie stifled a sigh at the expression that flashed across Deaq's face at that.

 

The newcomer, Leticia Cortez, was older than in the pictures in her file. The expression was softer too, pretty much neutral as she settled down. The truth was, she didn't look particularly interested at all, and Billie hoped there wouldn't be a problem with her as well. Sara and Cassidy were enough to deal with along with the case. She really needed Letty to be drama free.

After they were all settled, Billie clicked the remote, flashing the first picture on the screen. Three women, a blonde, a brunette and a red head --hair colors pretty obviously courtesy of Clairol--were standing around a white limo, scantily clad and looking like an ad for things illegal in most states.

"These ladies are known as the AGs. AG stands for Armando's girls."

She clicked to the next picture. A close up of a dark haired, mustachioed man appeared on the screen, along with a rap sheet that contained multiple charges of everything from pandering to GTA.

"That is Armando Vega. For years he ran an all girl organization. Fingers in prostitution, drugs, larceny, etc... He was a thorn in the side of LAPD vice division for quite a while, that is until he suddenly disappeared about eight months ago. To the best knowledge of the police department, one or all of his 'girls' had a hand in his death." Billie smirked. "The Armando's Girls moniker is _not_ a tribute. The AGs took over Vega's business, and even though they eliminated the prostitution and drugs, so far they've been just as much trouble as he ever was."

She clicked again, and the screen displayed information on various crimes committed by the AGs over the past year. "We need to get someone on the inside, close enough to get some surveillance on line. We have a shooter we need to identify, a dirty cop and a fence wanted by the feds. We need you to get in, find out as much as you can about how they work and who they work with, leave a few toys behind and get out again."

Click--the blonde appeared on the screen in close up. "This is Elizabeth Connelly. Known as Grace. She has various aliases, as they all do. She's the oldest of the three, and was associated with Vega the longest."

The redhead was next. "Rebecca Smith, called Ginger, for obvious reasons. She's the one seen about town the most. The girl likes to party, usually without her partners. She's a rowdy one too. Been tossed from a few places. She's the one we have the best chance of making contact with."

One more click, and the brunette's picture came up--she looked younger than the others and had a beatific expression. "Finally we have Jessica Lawson--Geri. From witness descriptions, we have reason to believe she's one who pulled the trigger, or at least one of them. So we're particularly interested in her."

 

&&&&&&&&&&

 

Letty folded her arms and leaned back in her chair, watching the other people in the room with the blanked expression she'd perfected after months of dealing with the Feds. Three cops and two cons. It sounded like the set up for a bad movie. The chick running things, Billie, was small and pretty. She looked like she should be on a magazine cover somewhere, but Letty could sense the steel underneath as she explained to them what was going down.

The Feds had been running her about six months. Mostly using her driving skills in nothing jobs. Brian kept telling her to be patient. That sooner or later the job they'd been waiting for would come along. The one big enough to let them bring Dom home. They were hoping this one was it. From what she could see, there was nothing usual about this one at all. The feds were running a joint op with the cops but off the books from what she could tell. Plus, she could tell from the get go there was some sort of history between the others. Sara was looking everywhere except at Billie, Cassidy was practically trying to crawl into Van's lap and Deaq was glaring at them while trying to look like he wasn't. She didn't care what their personal stories were -- as long as they didn't interfere in getting the job done.

She shook her head as she observed the set up. Pretty cops constantly undercover. Nice work if you could get it. O'Conner would fit right in here. Plus, he'd love the 'candy'. They even called it the Candy Store. She'd have to mention it to him when she saw him again. She could tell he wasn't exactly happy where he was, and they'd formed a kind of friendship since she'd approached him, so she maybe actually gave a damn whether he was or not. She knew if nothing else, he wanted Dom back in the states, wanted him back _home_ as much as she did. There were reasons behind that she wasn't willing to examine, but it tied them together in a weird way.

Letty was forever Dom's girl. She never worried about other women, not really -- even though it was fun to get in their faces. Brian was a different story though. Dom had kept up with the other man as best he could, just like he had with the rest of the team. At first she thought it was because Brian had betrayed Dom, and then countered that betrayal by letting him go, but it was more than that.

When she got back to LA she hadn't been sure what to do next. Mia had offered her a room and she'd just rattled around, trying to make plans, half of her wanting to never see Dom again the other half wanting to go back and make him let her stay. Brian found her. Walked up to her one day in Hector's garage and offered her a deal.

When she found out that Mia hadn't seen Brian at all since everything went down, she couldn't even convince herself that what he'd done the first time, what he was doing now, was because he was in love with Dom's sister. No, there was something between Brian and Dom, something they'd have to deal with when he got home, but getting him home was the priority -- for both of them, and that linked them in a way that just made things more complicated.

 

For now though she had to get through this. She directed her attention back to what Billie was saying, and thought about what story she'd come up with for Mia this time.

 

 

&&&&&&&&&&

 

 

Deaq's attention was half on the briefing, and half on what was going on in the room. He'd go over everything again with Van later anyway. Probably with Billie too before it was over. Watching Billie and Sara, Van and Cassidy deal with each other, just made Deaq happier than ever that he had enough sense not to get involved with any of their marks in any serious way. He was more than happy to skip all the drama. Even though he did have to thank Sara in a way. It was the incident outside Girl bar that had lead to him and Van hooking up.

Well, it lead to a drunken game of double dog dare, which lead to kissing, which lead to them waking up the next morning, nude, sore, hung over and pretty much eager to do the whole thing all over again -- well, minus the hung over part. They'd been hooking up ever since. Neither of them would claim it as anything more and Deaq made sure that it stayed that way. He knew Van. Mr. Emotional. It didn't take much for him to fall in lust, in love, whatever, and it didn't take much for him to fall right back out. Deaq wasn't planning on being another notch on his partner's belt. So he made sure things stayed casual between them. Friends with benefits. And if he wanted something more, well, nobody ever got everything they wanted.

 

Letty Cortez was keeping to herself, watching the same way Deaq was, though she didn't have the advantage, or disadvantage of knowing the back stories behind the sub textual stuff going on. He wondered what her story was. He'd looked over the file, or as much as the Feds were willing to include but he knew that was usually only a small part of the story. Thing was, he usually thought it was the soft part, the easy to see stuff -- for most people, the stuff the law knew about them barely skimmed the surface. Deaq thought most people were probably a lot worse than the story that got written down. Van was the opposite. He was too trusting, naive, even after growing up with Ray Ray, even after all his years on the force. He gave people the benefit of the doubt -- thought they were better than what was on paper. They'd argued about it more than once and would again.

 

He glanced over at Van and Cassidy again even though he kept telling himself not to. They were both apparently paying rapt attention to Billie, but Cassidy was plastered against Van's side and had one hand resting on his knee. Van glanced guiltily in his direction and eased her hand back onto her own leg. Even before they'd started doing each other, Cassidy had been a bone of contention between them. Deaq didn't trust her as far as he could throw her, and he hadn't like the way she affected Van. The way she made him forget all about the job, forget she was the bad guy.

He'd have to have a talk with Van about Cassidy, about being careful around her and he wasn't looking forward to it at all. The boy was stubborn when he liked someone. It was easy to flip him over the other way. Convince him somebody he didn't like wasn't as bad as he thought but once someone had Van's favor it took a hell of a lot for them to lose it. Deaq hated to watch it happen, hated to see that little bit of light slip away when Van realized somebody wasn't what he thought. He'd take it this time though, if it protected his partner from Cassidy and the world of trouble that girl always seemed to bring with her.

 

 

&&&&&&&&&&

 

Billie finished the briefing. "Save any questions until we've had a chance to go over everything. For now though Hill thinks it would be smart if you all stuck pretty close to us during this whole thing. We need to make arrangements. It's best if you all just stay with us until you go into play. We can take you to pick up anything you might need."

"What is this, some kind of house arrest?" Sara's cool blue eyes stared at her suspiciously.

"No, we just have a lot to go over and a short time to get it together. It's just easier if everybody stays close."

Cassidy bounced up. "Great, I'm staying with Van."

Deaq rolled his eyes. "Yeah, in that little bitty hotel room? I don't think so. I've got enough room for two of you."

"I'll stay with you." Sara spoke up, eyes meeting Billie's defiantly. Billie stifled any sense of disappointment at that.

Letty looked over at Billie with a grin. "Well, I guess that leaves me and you, Chica."

 

&&&&&&&&&&

 

 

Letty had a theory--half formed, about how much you could judge about a person based on their house. Billie's apartment was no exception. Cool and modern. Attractive but not revealing, just like the woman herself. There were a few pictures scattered around and some books but other than that, nothing said personal at all. It could just as easily been something out of a shoot from those home and garden magazines she glanced through in the doctor's office sometimes.

Still, Letty knew she was quick off the mark with her judgments, and once set, it was hard for her to retract them, and at first take, she liked Billie. The woman was clearly smart and tough and she was pretty successful in a boy's club. Something Letty could certainly appreciate. She had to admit, her looks didn't hurt either. Like Jesse, Letty had an appreciation for pretty things.

Billie's place was nice, but small, and it didn't look like there was a spare bedroom. Letty checked out the sofa, knowing she'd settle easily on it. She was used to camping out in various places. Growing up, she'd rather have been anywhere but home and she slept on the floors and sofas of various friends and relatives as often as she could. Once she met the Torettos; the floor in Mia's room became almost a second home.

 

&&&&&&&&

 

Billie watched Letty look around intently. She knew what her apartment looked like. Even her own mother admonished her for the impersonal decor, and last Christmas had given her a gaudy, hand knitted blanket to make the place more 'homey'. It was folded up and stuffed in her closet, pulled out only when her mother was visiting.

"You can take the bed. There are clean sheets. I'll take the sofa." She gestured to the second door. "Bathroom, towels, etc...in here. Just shout if you need anything."

"Thanks, but I can take the sofa, no biggie."

Billie glanced at the door. She didn't want to insult Letty but she wasn't crazy about her sleeping between Billie and the door instead of the other way around.

Letty gave her a knowing look. "Look, you don't have to worry. I'm not playing games. No ulterior motives, I need this, so I'm not going anywhere."

"Okay." She got the linens and spare pillows out of the closet. "I didn't mean to...I'm sorry."

Letty shrugged. "Hey, it's cool. I get you don't know me and your boy Hill is kind of a dick, who acts like I'm trying to steal the silverware or some shit. So he probably told you to watch me."

Billie laughed ruefully. "He did but, well he _is_ a dick. I actually conveyed the same sentiment this morning and I should know better than to follow any of his plans."

She made up the sofa, quashing the part of her that wanted to insist on taking it. Part wary cop, part being raised by a mother who placed good manners at the top of the heap. At this point it wouldn't be good manners but an insult to insist. "How long have you been working with the FBI?" Letty's file gave a general idea, but no specifics, since those were apparently 'need to know' and Billie couldn't help but be curious.

Letty snorted. "If you want to call it that--about six months."

"I'm sorry if I seem intrusive. I'm not trying to grill you or anything."

"It's not like you haven't read my file. Hell you probably know more about me than I do at this point."

Billie couldn't help a small twinge of guilt, rare for her. Even though Letty didn't seem particularly upset about it. It wasn't like anybody under the Feds thumb had much privacy anyway, and normally it wouldn't bother Billie at all. Knowledge was power, but the whole situation was a little weird and it was throwing her off kilter and apparently waking some long buried conscience.

 

 

&&&&&&&&&&

Billie had been through this before with Nick Mckussik but she'd had a lot more time to work with him. They were going to have to do a down and dirty training with the girls. A quick run through of the basics, enough to convince the AGs that they knew what they were doing. As much as she hated to admit it, Hill was right. Their past criminal records would go a long way in giving them cred with the AGs. it cut a lot of time off having to manufacture something or set up a few robberies to get them established with a rep.

Van had stopped and grabbed coffee and donuts and the caffeine and sugar rush carried them for a little while, making the early hour more tolerable.

"The first rule is, you never break cover. If this goes down with arrests, you get taken in too. It maintains your cover and protects you from retaliation."

Deaq laid out the cells they would be using. Each one was keyed with a 911 code that relayed directly to Billie, him and Van. "One stop shopping. Hit this and the show is over. The cavalry arrives and we shut everything down. But, it increases the chance that someone will figure out you were responsible for the bust. Use it only if you have no other choice. Otherwise, the plan is to arrange to bring you all in once you've got things set up." He handed one to each of the girls. "Keep it with you all the time."

He laid out the other bugs and showed them how to place them unobtrusively in locations that wouldn't interfere with the reception. The wire was next. "Best locations are bra or..."

"Waistband."

Billie stifled a wince at the ice in Sara's voice as she chimed in.

"Or the waistband, whichever works for you." Deaq kept on with the briefing though he cast a look at Billie. She shrugged. What could she say. He knew how it was undercover. He'd laughed before at the bitter feelings Van had generated. It wasn't like Sara's attitude should be a surprise to him. He also knew she'd done everything she could to keep Sara out of jail for the robberies. It was because of her that she got probation instead of taking the rap for the whole thing once Jill was dead.

"By the way, where was yours Van? No bra and it definitely wasn't in the waistband. You were wired, right?" Cassidy grinned mischievously.

Van flushed. "Yeah, ah, somewhere else."

 

&&&&&&&&&&

"Shit!" Letty dropped the hair pin again. Billie stepped up behind her, laying a hand over hers, and giving her a half smile.

"We don't have a lot of time, and we don't expect you to become experts."

"I don't want to be an expert, I just want to get the damn thing open."

Billie's hand guided hers smoothly until she heard a small snick, and the lock popped open. Letty had to admit it gave her a small thrill, of course, Billie's warm body pressed up against hers might have had something to do with that.

Billie backed off and stood watching all of them a moment. "Like I said, we don't expect you to be experts. You each have your strengths anyway. But we do need you to be able to fake it well enough to be a temptation to the AGs."

Cassidy cast a mischievous look at Van. "I'd say temptation is one of my strengths."

Van grinned, but Letty saw Deaq roll his eyes. The frown he cast their way didn't bode well for that relationship. From the little bit she'd seen of Deaq he didn't seem like somebody that liked trouble, and Letty could tell Cassidy was nothing but.

 

 

&&&&&&&&&&

 

Letty couldn't help drooling a little when they allowed them near the cars. She'd had her eye on them since they first walked in to the building. It was all she could do to contain herself. Another lesson in discipline she'd learned while with the Feds. This was finally something she could get behind. The other stuff was interesting, but it wasn't her. She'd never be comfortable with a gun, and as far as telling the expensive shit from the cheap stuff, it mostly all looked the same to her. Cars though. That was her thing, and they bought a little piece of her heart when they pulled out the Dodge Charger. It was new, red and shiny, sleek and gorgeous and she couldn't wait to get her hands on it.

Her connection to Dom and the street racing was no secret, and she'd caught Van giving her a sympathetic look a couple of times when she'd looked wistfully at the cars. Especially the mustang, half restored in the corner. It looked like a sixty-eight, and somebody had done a job on it. Letty itched to get her hands on it.

He grinned at her now, tossing her the keys to the Charger. "Letty is obviously going to do the driving, but we want to make sure that you both can handle yourselves behind the wheel as well."

They spent the day up in the hills. Van and Deaq riding along, but this was Letty's territory when it came down to it and she guided them through some simple tricks that should keep them from getting caught or killed. Cassidy already had some skills and she wasn't afraid to push it. Letty found herself actually having a good time as she, Cassidy and Van raced each other. They all had large, slightly manic grins on their faces as they raced across the improvised finish line seconds from each other.

Sara was a different story. She picked up the techniques easy enough but balked at the speed. Letty noticed, when it was time for them to do ride alongs, Sara made sure she was no where near Billie. She actually sort of latched on to Deaq and stuck with him the rest of the morning. Letty had noticed before that what ever issues she had with Billie extended somewhat to Van as well and she seemed the least discomfited around Deaq.

 

&&&&&&&&&&

 

Van popped the car lock, opening the door with a flourish, and casting them a smug grin when Deaq announced the time--forty-five seconds. "Okay, who's next?"

Letty grinned at him, and punched him on the arm. "Dude, you are definitely on the wrong side of the law."

Deaq had to admit, the boy was good, and watching him work made him want nothing so much as to drag Van into the back seat of the car. From the look on Cassidy's face, she was feeling about the same, and he quelled the desire to warn her off. He wasn't a dog and Van wasn't his territory to piss on. He hadn't gotten a chance to talk to Van about her, partly because they were usually surrounded by the girls and partly because he had to be careful what he said. Van was stubborn, and if Deaq said the wrong thing, Van would attach himself to Cassidy even more just to prove Deaq wrong. So far his strategy instead had been to keep Van distracted as much as possible. Well as much as possible constantly surrounded by 'Charlie's Angels'.

 

 

&&&&&&&&&&

 

Billie stretched her feet out onto the coffee table, taking another sip of wine. "You were good out there today."

Letty stretched her own legs along side, soft leather brushing against Billie's bare skin. She laughed. "I better be, or Dom would kill me."

"He teach you to drive?"

"Yeah." Her expression grew wistful. "He's the one you should see. Nobody can beat Dom behind the wheel. I've seen him do some amazing shit. It's like he was born with oil in his blood, you know."

"Is he still racing?"

Billie could see when Letty remembered who she was talking to. Her face closed off for a minute, shifting to something more calculating. She regretted the loss. She hadn't actually been pumping Letty for information--at least not intentionally.

"Do you want..."

"You know what I want?" Letty leaned over and kissed her, mouth taking hers quickly. She pulled back, eyes questioning.

Surprise kept Billie from responding, though truthfully she wasn't sure what her response would be. Letty was beautiful without a doubt, but frankly Billie had been so wrapped up in stifling any feelings for Sara, she hadn't lingered on any attraction to Letty

Letty sighed and reached out, fingers trailing down Billie's face. "I want to not think right now. Driving always gets me revved up, if you know what I mean." She leaned in again, giving Billie a chance to pull back before full lips closed over Billie's, mouth wet and hungry.

Billie moaned and opened her mouth, sucking lightly on the tongue that thrust aggressively in. Letty kept one hand on her shoulder, fingers squeezing lightly as they kissed, and Billie's own slid onto Letty's thighs. The leather was smooth and warm under her hands and it was very, very tempting to slide her hands up under the hem of the thin shirt Letty wore. The kiss was one thing she could blame curiousity for that, and the fact that she was tired of holding everything in all the time. Anything more though was a temptation she needed to resist.

She pulled back from the kiss reluctantly. "That was um..."

"Nice." Letty ran a tongue over her lips, shooting her a lascivious grin that shot heat through Billie.

She shook her head. "A mistake."

"Relax, Chica. I don't really work for you, Billie. Just think of it as stress relief." She reached out and pulled Billie back into her arms. Billie resisted for a moment before letting herself relax into the kiss. Letty made it easy, and right now, it was all Billie could ask for. This might be wrong but as strong hands moved over her body, Billie couldn't bring herself to care. It had been too long since she'd had this for herself. And it wasn't like either of them was pretending this was true love, or anything at all but what it was. Two people looking for a little comfort and joy on a long night.

 

 

&&&&&&&&&&

 

Letty stretched and snuggled down into the bed contentedly. She was practically purring and Billie understood the impulse. She felt more relaxed than she had in months and she wouldn't mind riding the afterglow into another round.

"So how come you don't have somebody? And don't tell me it's the job. Cause that's the oldest story out there."

"Well it is. Partly. I don't know, I just never found the right person. And yeah I know that's a big cliché too."

"So what, you've never been in love? Never had a long term thing? "

"I've come close. But..." She thought about Carla and Natalie. The closest she'd come to anything lasting. "A couple of near misses." Carla she'd lost and with Natalie she'd fucked up and thrown away what could have been a good thing. Not that she saw it at the time. Then she'd thought she was being smart. Covering her ass. She'd done that all right. Moved up the ladder free and clear too, by abandoning Natalie and any chance she'd had for something real with her.

Letty eyed her shrewdly. "But there is somebody now right? Somebody that could be the one."

Billie sighed. "Maybe. It's just. It's complicated with this person, for a lot of reasons. It's a big chance to take, and I don't know if it’s worth it."

Letty sat up, the sheet falling away, exposing glimpses of golden flesh. "If it's not worth everything, then it's not worth anything."

 

&&&&&&&&&&

 

Billie didn't know if it was something about Letty, an illusion of intimacy because of the great sex, or just the transitory nature of their relationship that made her open up. She found herself talking about things she hadn't told anyone, not even Alexa. She told her about her first time, she told her about Natalie and she found herself spilling the beans about the 'person' who could be the one, even though she didn't name names.

When she finished, Letty's dark eyes studied her intently.

"So,why are you here with me, instead of with Sara?"

"How did you know it was Sara?"

Letty laughed. "Seriously, the two of you obviously have history."

Billie shook her head. "Maybe, but I don't do love well. "

Letty tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and leaned back against the pillows, looking thoughtful. "I fell in love with Dom when I was thirteen. I've never loved anybody but him. I don't even think I would know how."

"I was eighteen the first time I fell in love. Carla. She was older than me--in college. She graduated and went to grad school, and she made it quite clear I wasn't being asked along for the ride." Billie rolled over on her stomach, and propped herself up on her elbows, bumping up against Letty's bent knees.

Letty reached over and laid a hand on her shoulder, giving her a sympathetic squeeze. "That's cold."

Billie shrugged, not exactly rejecting the sympathy, but she wasn't that heartbroken little girl, and she didn't really like to be reminded of what that had felt like. "What's cold is that she was my Captain's daughter. The funny thing is, most people assumed I was using him to fuck my way to the top."

"What about Natalie? Did you love her?"

Billie sighed. "Telling myself I didn't made it easy to leave her behind. I just passed her on to the next guy like she was a thing instead of a person. If she did love me, what happened between us took care of that."

 

Natalie was a solid ache she didn't think would ever go away. But she was indulging in enough melancholy. She cocked a brow at Letty, smirking. "So what about you? You're obviously not new to this." She gestured between them. "If it's just been Dom, how did you get so good?"

 

Letty grinned, inclining in a slight bow. "Gracias, Chica. Lots of girls hang around the races cause they like the cars, and they like going fast. Some of them aren't just interested in the guys that drive. I'd had offers before--when the chick was brave enough, but these two girls -Mandy and Sandy-dumb shit names-but real cute. They were back every week."

She stretched her arms over her head, causing the sheet to drop to her waist, revealing smooth golden skin. Billie couldn't help but take a moment to appreciate the view. "I can definitely see why."

Letty caught her look and wiggled her brows suggestively with an amused grin. "Thing is, me and Dom fight. A lot. We used to break up every couple of months at least. One of those times, I let the girls take me home. It was wild. We got back together of course, but every once in a while you know, during one of our off times, I'd call the girls up. It wasn't like Dom wasn't getting his somewhere else too."

"The way you talk about him, I expected you to be angry if he even looked at someone else."

"Oh I am." Letty shrugged. "He knows when we're on, we're on, and there's a definite no skanks rule, but me and Dom, let's just say it's not traditional. We're never gonna be that white picket fence, Cosby family. Hell, we'd both probably be bored out of our skulls in six months if we tried. "

"But you're doing all this for him anyway."

"Yeah. We're...us. I can't really explain it. It's just the way it's always been. We'd do anything for each other. He left me because he's pig headed and he wanted to protect me. Now I want to do the same for him. I want him to come home."

"So you went to see this Brian guy? He's the same one that went under cover to bust you, right?."

"Yeah. It's complicated, but he kind of got to be one of us, you know."

Billie wondered about this Brian, wondered what Letty wasn't saying. "He must have. I read the file; he could have wound up in jail himself by letting Toretto walk." He hadn't been under that long, but apparently he'd gone native hard core. She didn't know if he was like Van, and just got too close to the mark or if it was something about Dom Toretto. He certainly inspired plenty of loyalty form the stories she'd heard a few years back.

"Mia, Dom's sister, says Dom is like gravity. I guess Brian felt it too."

Something about the way she said it told Billie a whole story. She reached out, laying a hand on Letty's thigh. It was her turn to offer sympathy. "Toretto's lucky."

Letty shrugged. Her expression impossible for Billie to read, but she put her own hand on top of Billie's, threading their fingers together. "Ride or die."

 

 

 

Billie certainly wasn't trying to flaunt anything. She didn't particularly want anyone to know what had happened between her and Letty because it was extra baggage they didn't need, but they were all adults and she wasn't about to make excuses either or hide away like some blushing virgin. At least that was what she told herself until they got to the Candy Store the next morning. She was a trained professional and she'd be willing to bet neither she or Letty were acting any differently or giving off any type of signals but when they came in together everybody looked up and Sara blanched, almost physically flinching. Billie took one look at Sara's face when she saw them and was overwhelmed with guilt.

She was always ragging on Van about falling for the mark, but she'd done the same thing. From the moment she'd met Sara, she knew she was in trouble. The connection was there, even under all the lies and Billie had to stop herself several times from telling the truth and taking the chance that she could convince Sara and Jill to give the money back.

Making sure that Sara didn't go to jail in the end had been the least she could do. It didn't assuage her guilt or stop her from wishing things could have been different. But it wasn't the first disappointment she had to live with and she was fine with it, or thought she was. But it was a different story with Sara right there in front of her every day.

Letty was a good distraction. She kept Billie occupied and neither of them was under the illusion it was anything but what it was. Billie had absolutely no reason at all to feel guilty, or like she was cheating. She would keep reminding herself of that until it sunk in.

 

&&&&&&&&&&

They were at Deaq's for the morning, going over the files again, going over their stories again. Even Deaq was bored, but it was important that they had it down.

They'd all been getting along all things considered so something was bound to crack. The sniping started over small things and escalated, no doubt exacerbated by the tension of the situation and all the underlying relationship mess going on.

Somehow Letty had gotten added to the mix, or at least if the glares Sara had been sending her way were anything to go by. Deaq had been so busy cock blocking Van and Cassidy--and Cassidy wasn't exactly happy about that--he wasn't sure exactly what had happened, but something obviously had.

Then Sara bumped Letty into Cassidy who in turn shoved her back into Sara. Voices were raised, claws came out, and it turned physical. Deaq and Van both had enough sense to stay out of it, and Billie broke it up before it turned into a scene from Girlfight.

 

&&&&&&&&&&

 

They sat around the table sullenly. Not making eye contact with her, or each other. Billie sighed inwardly. This assignment was enough of a risk without the added emotional baggage that was developing. She had to get them all on the same page though. The smallest thing could fuck this all up, and she had to make sure they were going to cover each other's ass. She didn't plan on them failing and she didn't plan on them getting killed. She was willing to do whatever it took to insure that didn't happen.

 

She tossed the folders onto the table in front of them. "Background. Read them, memorize them."

All three glanced down, but Cassidy was the only one that actually picked them up, shuffling through them. Her eyes widened. "These are on us."

"Yeah. You're gonna have to convince them that you've been friends for years. We don't have time to play around--I expect you--all of you--to know everything in those folders by Friday. "

Cassidy frowned, laying the folder back on the table and crossing her arms, going into full pout mode. "You can't just give out our personal information like this." It came out more petulant than full blown angry.

Sara was still ignoring them all, but Letty had grabbed her own folder and was looking through it curiously.

Billie cocked a brow. "I'm sorry; you must be mistaking this for a finishing school. Think of it like this. You can bond over what a bitch I am. Read them."

She left them sitting at the table, and resisted the urge to look back. Dramatic exits after all had to be done a certain way. She felt bad about leaving the guys there to deal with the fallout, but she had a meeting with Parish to give him a progress report. She would definitely not be telling him about this little set back.

 

&&&&&&&&&&

Everybody was quite after Billie left. The tension was still thick, and Deaq figured he or Van was going to have to make a move, when Letty slammed her folder down in the middle of the table.

"Well. What a bitch." Her tone was very matter of fact, and Deaq could tell she wasn't really angry. The girls all looked at each other and then broke into laughter. The hostilities, or at least the physical ones, seemed to be over. He felt a sharp burst of affection for Letty when she slid her folder over towards Sara.

"Okay, Ladies. Ante up."

Deaq wasn't sure it was a good idea when Van brought out the tequila, but the ladies enthusiastic response kind of took the decision away from him. They commandeered the dining room and shooed him and Van out.

"No testosterone!"

They'd gradually loosened up with each other--the alcohol helped of course--to the point of reading stuff in their folders out loud to each other, correcting facts and telling stories behind the statistics. Then they'd moved passed that into a sort of casually drunken camaraderie.

Van had of all things a dentist appointment. They were under so much it was always weird when real life intruded. He hung around, until he was almost late.

"Van, go. It's fine."

"You sure?"

"Dude, I grew up with three sisters okay, I think I can handle it. Besides," He gestured to the three of them in the other room. "They're bonding over tequila shots and Marry, Fuck or Throw of a cliff. You go on, I've got this."

"You sure? "

Deaq waved him away.”I'm good. I'm just gonna chill on the couch."

Van looked worriedly into the dining room where the girls were giggling. Deaq patted him on the leg. "Seriously man, stop being a worry wart and go. It's not like they're gonna jump me the minute you leave."

Van gave him a lascivious grin. "That actually might be fun."

"Maybe for you. Those ladies are a little too dangerous for my taste."

"I'll be back in an hour."

"Oh get out of here, Van. We promise not to bite him." Cassidy shouted it from the next room.

"At least not hard." That was Letty, and that set off another round of giggles among them.

 

&&&&&&&&&&

 

Shift was one of the current 'it' clubs, and one they knew Ginger hung out in. They arranged with the owner--who'd been happy to cooperate and keep his club off the LAPD radar--to not only get the girls in, but to get them a table near the area where Ginger usually hung out.

The girls had settled back into their booth after leaving the dance floor and ordered a round of drinks. Deaq had to admit they were doing a pretty good job of pretending to be friends. They had good, loose body language and seemed comfortable around each other. Their conversation was chatty and peppered with 'inside' references and jokes. Anybody listening in casually would think they'd been friends for years. Apparently Billie's little exercise, not to mention the Patron, and the shared hang overs the next morning, had worked magic. He looked over to where Van was leaning against the bar, his attention on the booth. Van's body language on the other hand screamed sleaze.

Van knocked back the rest of his drink, glancing towards Deaq briefly. Even from a distance, Deaq could make out the eyebrow wiggle. "Game time." The under the breath murmur was loud and clear in his ear, so they shouldn't have a problem at all picking everything up despite the club noise.

He watched as Van approached the girls, with just enough swagger to suggest he was slightly shit-faced.

"Why do I always wind up playing the asshole?"

Deaq grinned. "Come on, Van. If you make it that easy, it's no fun."

Van ran a hand over his face, covering his mouth while he responded. "Fuck you."

"You should be so lucky." That got him another quick glance, but Deaq knew Billie was used to their back and forth. If she hadn't figured it out yet, which Deaq was pretty sure she had, despite what Van thought, she wasn't going to clue in all of a sudden. Not that she had room to talk anyway. He didn't know if she didn't know it was there or had just forgotten, cause it wasn't like Billie to flaunt her personal business, but the hickey on her shoulder the other morning when she'd come in suggested she and Letty were doing more than braiding each other's hair at their impromptu little slumber party.

They'd picked Cassidy because she was the most vulnerable looking of the three of them, and she and Van were comfortable with each other physically. No matter how not happy Deaq might be about that, it still helped them concentrate on the scene and not the reality.

 

&&&&&&&&&&

Cassidy got up and went to the bathroom, making sure to pass right in front of Ginger on her way back. Their signal was her tucking her hair behind her ear. When she did that, Van stepped up and grabbed Cassidy by the arm.

"Damn it! What did I tell you about this? You think my boys don't call me when they see you out?"

She flinched away from him. "Jesus Van! What you've got people spying on me now? That's crazy."

He shook her a little roughly. "Baby, don't make me mad okay. Just get your shit, leave the bitches and let's go."

Cassidy yanked at her arm. "Stop it, Van. I'm not leaving. Just go home." They kept their voices low, not wanting to attract anybody to their little play but the person they were performing for. Fortunately, from what Deaq could see, they definitely had her attention.

"I said, let's go."

"And she said she's not, so let her go." Ginger stepped up to them, grabbing Van's wrist and twisting enough that he winced and released Cassidy's arm.

"Who is this, another one of your dyke buddies. You fucking her too?"

Cassidy sighed. "Just leave, okay, Van?"

Deaq had to admit she was good, of course she was a con artist, among other things.

He moved toward her again and Ginger stepped between them. "You heard her." She put both hands on his chest shoving hard enough to back him into the bar. He bumped a couple of people who looked around agitated,but quickly grabbed their drinks and moved when they sized up the situation.

"Look, Bitch who the hell do you think you are?"

She gave him a dangerous smile. "Actually I'm Ginger, like the spice. You're Van. Now that we've been polite and all, fuck off."

Letty and Sara took that as their cue, stepping up on either side of Cassidy and Ginger.

Sara sighed "Van, go the fuck home."

"Oh, I'm really scared now."

Letty raised her blouse, flashing the shiny handle of a knife tucked into the waistband of her pants. "You should be. I will cut you, I've already told your sorry ass that."

Cassidy stepped forward. "Van just go already."

He held his hands in surrender. "Fine, what the fuck ever. Stay here all night if you want to, but I'm locking the door, so your bitches better give you a place to sleep tonight." He flounced off.

Letty scowled in the direction he headed. "Fucking busta."

Sara turned to Cassidy, running a light hand over her hair. "Are you okay, sweetheart?"

"I'm fine guys. He's just a jerk--or should I say a man and leave it at that." She had the exasperated female tone down pat.

Sara draped an arm around Cassidy's shoulders. "Come on, baby girl, let's get you another drink." She smiled over at Ginger. "You too. It's Ginger right? Buying you a drink is the least we can do after you defended our little girl."

"I never turn down a free drink. Especially from a pretty girl." She went back to the table with them and Deaq stifled the urge to do a fist pump. They were in.

 

&&&&&&&&&

 

"It's all right. He'll sober up by morning and then he'll be the sweetest thing, all 'Oh baby, I'm sorry' and I'll get something pretty out of it." She fingered the large gemstone earrings she wore.

"So, you know that guy I take it ?"

"Yeah, sadly, he's my boyfriend."

"Really?"

Cassidy shrugged. "Yeah. He's kind of a shit head when he's drunk."

Sara harrumphed. "Which is pretty much all the time now."

Cassidy ignored the interruption. "But, you know he's pretty and great in the sack. You know how it is. Plus he kind of helps us out. With our business."

"Which, we don't need to talk about." Letty put a warning edge in her voice.

Cassidy giggled again, doing a convincing job of ditzy and tipsy. "Oh, yeah, right. shhh." She put a finger to her lips.

Letty thought Ginger looked intrigued and definitely wanted to ask, but didn't, letting them change the topic at will.

Sara kept staring at Ginger briefly, then looking away. After they had finished the first drink and talked Ginger into staying for another round, she said with an 'aha!' tone. "I know you, right? From Girlbar?"

That captured Ginger's attention, and she frowned. "Maybe, I don't think I remember you there though."

"It's been a while, but I used to hang there. I used to be with Jill all the time."

Ginger's eyes widened. "Oh yeah. Oh. I'm sorry about your friend. Fucking cops."

Sara shrugged. "Yeah." And Letty thought the bitterness in her voice was real. She took a drink. "Anyway, that's where I know you from. It was bothering me."

Letty noticed Ginger had warmed considerably during that exchange. Thanks to Billie's little forced information exchange, she knew exactly what had happened to Jill. It worked to give them credibility but now Letty wondered how using it was gonna effect Sara.

She had talked a little about it, mostly making them laugh about how sleezy Van had come across, something he apparently had a talent for. She hadn't been willing to share too much about Jill, and Letty understood perfectly. They all had their no trespassing zones. They just needed to make sure that this one didn't bite them in the ass. The last thing they needed was for her to have some kind of melt down or for her to have suddenly divided loyalties.

Cassidy glanced at her, and Letty caught the same worry in her eyes.

"Hey, we're not sad tonight, remember?" Cassidy refilled their glasses from the margarita pitcher. "To old friends and new ones."

They all toasted and the topic changed to various other things. Ginger was easy enough to like. She was funny in a sarcastic way, and they'd all spent most of their lives in LA. The town itself was enough to keep the conversation going into the early morning.

Ginger yawned. "I don't know about you, but I've got to get some food in me to sop of some of this liquor. There's a Denny's right around the corner. Wanna come with?"

Letty glanced at her watch and was surprised to see it was nearly two am.

Sara smiled. "Absolutely. I could definitely use some cheesy hash browns. Girls?"

Letty hesitated. They hadn't made plans for taking things somewhere else, but they couldn't afford to lose the momentum they'd gained with Ginger either. She just hoped Deaq's mike was picking everything up. "Sure, I could eat."

Ginger slapped her hand lightly on the table. "Great! You can all ride with me, and I'll drop you back off. Parking is murder over there, no sense in us taking up two spots."

"Okay." Cassidy pulled out her phone--the one they'd all been given to communicate with Van, Deaq and Billie. " I should probably call my idiot boyfriend though, just to let him know where I am."

Ginger frowned, reaching across the table and laid a hand over the phone before Cassidy had a chance to dial. "What, so he can stalk you there too? Nah, fuck him, right ladies?"

Damn. Letty sighed internally, trying to ignore the worried look Cassidy threw her way. They'd just have to improvise.

Sara on the other hand didn't seem worried at all. She knocked back the last of her drink. "Well, that's what I say anyway." She winked at Ginger. "Let's go."

By the time they headed out to the car, Ginger was already talking about wanting them to meet her girls. Breakfast went smoothly, with Sara connecting the most with Ginger as they'd figured since they actually had some places and people in common. They exchanged numbers when she dropped them off, and she promised to call them for lunch in the next few days.

"I really would like you to meet my friends. I think this might be the start of a beautiful friendship."

Letty figured they'd give her a day or two--any sooner might be suspicious--and then call her if she hadn't contacted them.

 

&&&&&&&&&&

Sara grinned at Cassidy. "You were good. I knew and I still couldn't tell you were lying."

Cassidy smiled but Letty noticed it didn't reach her eyes. "Nobody can tell when I'm lying."

Sara stretched out on the sofa with a yawn and closed her eyes. "Huh. Useful skill to have."

 

&&&&&&&&&&

 

Billie slammed her case down on the desk. Face flushed with anger, she glared at the three of them. "What part of 'don't leave our sight' do you not understand? There was no guarantee that we would be able to follow you or that Ginger wouldn't have noticed you had a tail. You could have blown the whole operation!"

 

Sara rolled her eyes. "Oh, please. We're supposed to do whatever is necessary to get the job done. You know all about that."

There was so much vitriol in that Deaq winced even though it was clearly aimed at Billie.

Billie shook her head. If it bothered her, she didn't let it show. "This isn't about how we work. It's about you doing what you're told."

Cassidy leaned forward, casting a conciliatory smile in Van's direction. "Oh come on, it was no big deal."

Deaq frowned and crossed his arms. "I'm sure it wasn't to you, but we have rules for a reason."

"And we break them ourselves all the time, Deaq." Van smiled at the girls, giving them a quick wink.

Deaq glared at him. He knew Van was just trying to lighten things up but the last thing the girls--especially Cassidy--needed was encouragement. "Are you saying it's okay for them to just do whatever the hell they want to?"

Van held up his hands in a 'whoa' gesture. "No, I'm just saying..."

Billie jumped in. "You two are trained for this, they aren't. It's completely different."

Letty slammed her hand on the table and stood up. "Basta ya!" She had a faint headache from the drinking last night and she really, really wasn't in the mood for all the squabbling. Everybody stopped and looked at her.

"Let me make this clear. We're not really best friends and we're not family. That means I don't have to put up with your shit. The FBI has been running me for almost six months. This is just another job. I'm not gonna hold your hand through it and I will kill you if you fuck it up. If the AG's don't do it first."

She dropped back down in her seat and sighed. "Look, the feds want the fence, Hill wants the dirty cop and Parish wants the cop killer. Seems like we're serving three masters --none of them Billie, and none of them give a fuck whether we get out of this alive except Billie." She glared at Cassidy and Sara. "So, we will try harder to make sure we follow the rules as best we can."

 

She turned on Billie next. "And Billie, you know when you're in the shit sometimes you have to make a decision then and there. Sara got us in. That's what she's here for. Whatever works is a go."

 

&&&&&&&&&&

 

Billie couldn't help but think how different Letty and Sara were. Letty was all fiery, sullen beauty a very different animal from Sara's cool, quiet looks.

She touched Sara's shoulder. "We need to talk. Come on, let's take a walk."

They went outside. The Candy Store was in a warehouse district and there were few people around.

"Look, we need to be able to work together without our personal feelings interfering."

Sara crossed her arms, leaning against the side of the building. "Really? Cause it seems like you have no problem getting personal with Letty."

Billie fought back a flush. "That was...Letty has somebody. It doesn't..."

"Mean anything?" There was a flash of pain in the glance she threw Billie. "Does it ever with you?"

Billie tucked her hands in her pockets, fighting the urge to reach out and touch Sara. "That's not fair. I was doing my job."

"What's not fair is that Jill is dead!" Her eyes and voice overflowed with pain and fury.

Billie wanted to comfort her, but there was nothing but the truth to give her. "Sara you were carrying guns. You had to know chances were somebody was going to get hurt or killed."

Sara shook her head. "I wanted you and I talked her into trusting you. She's dead because of it."

"I know. I'm sorry." And she was. She hadn't liked Jill, but she hadn't wanted her dead either. It had never been about Jill and Sara, just about getting the money back in time.

"She was my best friend and you killed her, and you know what the worst part is?" Her voice cracked. "I still want you." She walked away, leaving Billie staring after her in shock.

 

Billie caught up with her at the corner. "You can't just..."

"Look forget it, okay. It's my problem." She turned to go again and this time Billie didn't resist the urge, reaching out and grabbing her arm.

"Sara."

Sara turned back to look at her, a defeated expression on her face. "You're right okay? I know what kind of chance we were taking. I know it could have gone down a lot worse if it wasn't for you. I just... Was anything you said the truth? Was any of it real? "

Seeing Sara, always strong and defiant, so vunerable--knowing it was because of her--broke Billie's heart a little. She didn't know what to say to her. The stories weren't true, but the feelings were. That didn't really help either of them though. She could hear Letty in her head--telling her it was worth the risk. Looking in Sara's wide, vulnerable eyes she thought maybe this once, it was.

"It was a close to the truth as I could get." Her hand slipped down Sara's arm to take her hand. Sara resisted for a moment, and then laced her fingers through Billie's, giving her a wry smile.

"I guess I can work with that."

She took a deep breath, squeezing Sara's hand, taking a chance she never thought she'd get. "I hope so. After all this is over. You're getting a fresh start. I'd like us to have one too."

Sara shrugged casually but her eyes were bright and happy. "Maybe. You do owe me lunch." She grinned slyly at Billie, and Billie felt something in her relax for the first time in a long while. It wasn't a guarantee of anything but the hope was there and she couldn't ask for more than that right now.

 

&&&&&&&&&&

 

Deaq didn't know what had changed between Billie and Sara, but it was easy to see something had. The eye contact revved up to a hundred, and there was lots of 'accidental' touching. He kind of expected Letty to react badly but if anything she actually seemed happy about the interaction between the two women.

One afternoon, after a particularly charged interaction, Van grinned at him. "Looks like Billie and Sara worked things out."

"Yeah." He was trying to remain non-committal about the whole thing, as opposed to Van's actual enthusiasm. " Don't let it give you any ideas."

Van looked genuinely puzzled. "What are you talking about? "

"I'm talking about you and Cassidy. Clean slate or not, that girl is bad news Van. Don't get sucked into her drama again."

"Are you jealous?"

"I don't have any papers on you, Van. I'm not trying to cramp your style, just watch out for you."

Van's usually open expression closed down abruptly. "Thanks for that partner, but I'm good."

The next morning he was still getting attitude from Van. Not quite the silent treatment, but his partner was doing the 'speak only when spoken to' thing and avoiding eye contact whenever possible. Everybody else was getting the usual cheerful Van, so Deaq knew his partner was just pissed at him. This was a bad thing. Van was all quick fire and flash. He didn't hold a grudge for long, and his usual angry mode was pouting and casting wounded puppy looks towards whoever had made him mad. Most of the time, they caved, even Billie.

This though, this was hard core angry Van. Few things got him like this, and Deaq wasn't sure exactly what he'd done to set him off this time. If it was saying what he did about Cassidy, if Van was that invested in her that he couldn't stand to have anything said about her, then they were in deeper shit than Deaq could have guessed.

 

He left Billie with the girls and maneuvered Van off to the side. "Man, what is wrong with you?"

Van shrugged. "Look, you made it pretty clear that you don't care, so don't try and flip that now."

Deaq stared at him incredulously. "When the hell did I say I didn't care about you, Van? Me telling you about Cassidy was because I do care."

"Yeah, fine. About the job, the partnership in the field."

"And the partnership at home."

"I don't have papers on you, Van." Van's imitation of him had him gritting his teeth in frustration. Trust the boy to take everything the wrong damn way.

"You know what I mean. We've been playing this casual."

"What if I don't want to play it that way anymore?"

"Are you sure? Cause I don't share what's mine."

Van's face was expressionless, but what Deaq saw in his eyes made him catch his breath with barely contained joy. "Yeah, I'm sure. And by the way, I don't either, so no more long lost loves popping up okay?"

"I promise you, I'm not interested in anything but the here and now."

 

&&&&&&&&&&

 

Ginger called Sara the next day and invited them all to lunch on Saturday. After that, they seemed to kick into high gear. Billie notified Parish and Hill who was somewhat appeased now that he had actual positive progress to report, rather than just promises of action.

It was almost like being in school again, which Letty hadn't been that fond of the first time. Van, Deaq and Billie quizzed them on everything they'd already gone over. The atmosphere had changed though. Letty couldn't help but notice both Billie and Sara and Deaq and Van seemed happier. Cassidy's pouting glances in Van's direction were mostly ignored by everybody and they didn't last long, telling Letty she wasn't all that upset about whatever had happened.

They spent Friday night going over their stories again and drawing definite boundaries about what was allowed and what wasn't with the agreement that if they had to handle things on the fly then they would definitely keep in touch with Billie.

 

&&&&&&&&&&

 

They met at Poquito Mas. The ladies had already commandeered a table in the back when they got there. They were seated in an alcove at a large booth that gave them a little privacy from the rest of the restaurant. Ginger introduced them, and they chatted about trivial stuff until they placed their orders. In person the AGs were less plastic looking than they had been in the photos. Letty wondered if that was also a result of getting rid of Armando. They definitely looked less bad ass than their files made them out to be. Geri was decked out in flowerchild gear, her long black hair in braids, silver jewelry on every finger. She ordered vegetarian and stared mostly out of the window with a spaced out expression while the rest of them talked. She didn't exactly seem like cop killer material.

Grace on the other hand, gave them sharp, inquisitive attention. Letty got the definite impression that she was the one running things. Grace she could see shooting someone, for practical reasons though. Ginger seemed to be the one that might go off, temper flaring enough to make her deadly.

 

"Ginger says you're self employed in the same business we're in."

Sara shrugged casually, taking a sip of her tea. "Might be. Depends on what your business is."

They talked around it for a while until Letty finally leaned in. "We kind of liberate things."

Grace cocked a brow. "That sounds promising. What kinds of things are we talking about?"

Letty leaned back, taking a sip of her beer. "Cass has got a thing for the bling, and Sara here is our resident riot grrl. She just likes sticking it to the man."

Cassidy laughed while Sara kicked at her under the table. Letty jerked her leg back with her own laugh, and for a minute almost forgot they were all playing a role. It felt for a second like family and that was something she was going to have to remind herself. She had a family she was doing this for. These people were just a means to an end.

Ginger grinned at them and leaned her elbow on the table, propping her chin up. "What about you?"

Letty returned the grin. "Zoom, zoom."

 

&&&&&&&&&&

 

They got a call inviting them over to the house on Saturday. It was large--not quite a mansion, but close enough. Women in various stages of dress were in and out the whole time. Some drawing the attention of one or the other of the AGs but they were mostly focused on Letty, Sara and Cassidy. They kept everything light and friendly. Swimming, lunch, a movie after, but it was still obvious they were being judged carefully. If the last couple of days had felt like being in school, this was definitely the final exam.

Letty kept an eye out for good places to plant bugs when they were given a tour of the house. Billie had reiterated their job was to get in, get as much information as they could, hopefully get some bugs down and get out. Right now though, getting in was more important than trying to get the house wired and taking the chance of getting caught.

After dinner, they all settled in the living room with glasses of wine.

Ginger looked them over, turning to the other two. "What do you think?"

Grace shrugged. "I'm not sure we can trust them."

"Oh you can't."

They all turned to look at Sara, who smiled serenely. "Just like we can't trust you. We're all criminals, and how can you ever trust a criminal?"

Grace laughed. "Oh. I think I like this girl."

Ginger raised a questioning brow in Grace's direction. "I'm assuming that's a yes from you then?"

Grace nodded. "Definitely."

"Geri?"

The brunette stared at them a long while. "Well, I'm getting good vibes from them."

"So that's a yes as well?"

She shrugged. "Sure. What the hell. We can always kill them if there's a problem."

They all laughed, but Letty was pretty sure she wasn't kidding.

Ginger held out a hand. "Three yeses ladies. You're going to Hollywood."

Letty watched them carefully. She didn't doubt they were dangerous, but they also seemed to be major drama queens. This whole little production they'd put on in front of them was a prime example. She'd known girls like them in high school. Living their lives like it was a TV show. Of course it was California so half the people here lived like that. It wouldn't make her underestimate them though. She'd seen the files, and Armando had been a bad dude, running girls for a long time. These three managed to get out from under him and take over his business. A part of her couldn't help but admire them. The way they seemed to be sticking together.

Still, it was easier than Letty thought it should be to get in with them. Whoever had come up with the idea that the AGs would feel more comfortable with a fellow 'sisterhood' had been right. Brian, the shithead, had actually offered her some tips and tricks when he found out what her assignment was. She'd been tempted to hit him, even if they were good tips. Instead she stuck to saying it was too bad one of them didn't have a sister she could fuck to get an in. She didn't feel bad at all for enjoying the expression on his face. Mia still talked wistfully about him sometimes and Letty couldn't even tell her that she was working with him, since he hadn't made the effort to contact her.

She was starting to understand a little what Brian went through though. How easy it was to get sucked into the cover. She could see the temptation easily. If she wasn't doing this for Dom--didn't have that motivation, what they offered would be hard to resist.

 

&&&&&&&&&&

 

Nobody expected the AGs to spill all their secrets right away, even though at Hill's check ins, he acted like it.

It was another week hanging out with them--testing Letty figured--before they got invited along on a job. It was boosting a couple of mid range cars. It was a good thing Letty really was as good as she said she was behind the wheel because Geri was a damn good driver.

They took five in a day, and when they got back to the house, some of the other girls were there with their own hauls. Fifteen all together from what Letty could see. It was clear everything had been preplanned. They weren't just driving around looking for stuff that looked good, they'd known exactly which cars they wanted.

There was a party atmosphere afterwards, and Letty was reminded of old times, of how it was before everything had gone to hell. They'd tried to recapture that some, but it was never really the same.

She noticed Grace watching her and she smiled and raised her beer in a silent toast. Head in the game, Letty.

 

&&&&&&&&&&

 

It was obvious that there was no love loss between Calder and the girls. They were anxious the morning he was supposed to arrive and Geri sulked in the corner for a while about him coming there at all. From what Letty could gather she thought it tainted the atmosphere and said something about burning sage to cleanse things after he left. Letty figured he was a hold over from the days when Armando was running things.

 

He was also one of their marks--or rather hers. The Feds were particularly interested in him and his interstate trafficking activities. They didn't particularly care about the AGs who were only a small subset of the business he did. From her briefing, she'd been told that some of the things he purchased wound up as gifts to some people the FBI were especially interested in getting to know better. They figured if they got a hold of Calder, they'd have a better chance of making that happen. He was the reason Letty was there.

When Calder came in, Letty suddenly understood Geri's feelings. He actually made her skin crawl a little as he passed his gaze over them. From the blank expression on Cassidy's face and the cold glare Sara was giving him, she could guess they felt the same.

"New meat huh? Choice too. Very nice."

Geri gave him a sweet smile. "Why don't you just die in a fire."

Calder laughed and her expression hardened.

Grace stood up. "Geri, stop." She turned to Calder. "Let's just get this taken care of, okay."

They went out back and Calder and his men looked over the cars. "You never disappoint ladies. These are perfect."

"Good, now if we can finish up, we have plans for this evening."

"Of course."

They all headed back into the house, Calder sending one of his men back out to his car for payment. A nice, traditional black briefcase full of money and Letty thought once again how melodramatic everything was. After years in the Caribbean, a part of her had forgotten what LA was like.

Geri counted the money, then recounted with a frown. "This isn't the regular amount."

Calder shrugged. "There's been a little change in price structure. You know how it is. Things are tough all over, right?"

Grace stood up, walked over to the table and snapped the briefcase closed, handing it back to Calder's man. "I don't know what kind of games you're playing Calder, but there's no way we're getting shafted like this. We're not making the deal. We'll take them somewhere else."

He frowned. "I already have those cars spoken for."

Ginger leaned against the chair, arms crossed. "Sucks to be you then, doesn't it?"

Calder's expression turned nasty. "You cunts are gonna take the money and like it. And you'll keep doing business with me or I'll make sure you don't do it with nobody."

"What did you call us?" Grace's tone was ice, and Letty could feel the tension in the room increasing.

Calder grinned maliciously, crossing his arms. "I called you a bunch of cunts who don't know your place. Armando knew what you were good for, but with him gone, you're clearly missing a real man, and trying to grow your own dick."

Geri leaned forward, every hint of the sweet, nature child persona she carried gone. "You keep talking like that and we won't need to. We'll just cut yours off and keep it."

Letty kept waiting for one of them to calm down, but the threats and name calling escalated instead. Still, she weren't expecting anyone to start shooting. Letty wasn't even sure how it escalated to that point. When the guns came out though, she grabbed Cassidy's arm and yanked her behind the sofa. She tried to figure out where Sara was and keep her head down at the same time.

"Get Billie."

"I'm trying." Cassidy banged the receiver on the floor and the green light popped on with a click. She punched 911 into it.

"Okay, stay here. I'm gonna go look for Sara."

Cassidy nodded. "Be careful."

Letty made sure Cassidy was tucked as unobtrusively as possible before she scooted around the corner. She didn't see anybody in the hall and she eased cautiously toward the living room where she'd last seen Sara. She could hear doors slamming, and shouts and she could only hope that it was Billie to the rescue instead of the AGs or Calder getting away. They'd done they're bit and she wasn't willing to get killed trying to keep them there for the cops.

She found Billie with Sara who was stretched out on the floor. It seemed like there was blood everywhere. Letty felt her heart stutter. "Is she..." she couldn't say it.

Billie didn't look away from Sara. "No. She's hanging in there. Can you show the paramedics where to come?" Her voice was soft and Letty could hear the strain in it.

"Yeah, yeah." She wanted to say something. 'don't die' wasn't right, but it's what she wanted to say. She'd said they weren't friends, but she'd been wrong and she wanted to say that too. Instead she ran to get help.

 

&&&&&&&&&&

 

Billie hated hospitals. Her sister had slipped away in one and her mother almost had. Sitting in the blandly decorated waiting room, seeing the varying degrees of worry and weary on the faces of the other occupants just reminded her of that. Reminded her there were no guarantees. When Sara was okay, if she was okay, Billie planned to remember that lesson.

She didn't even know who to call for Sara. Her file listed a brother in San Francisco, but no notation whether they were close or not. She hadn't met any other friends besides Jill the first time. They had a lot to learn about each other, and she was praying they'd get the chance.

Van called to check in with her, but he and Deaq were busy dealing with the aftermath of everything. Trying to explain what went down and deal with all the egos and department one upmanship flying around. He promised they would come by as soon as they could.

 

It was almost two hours before the doctor came out, and she had to flash her badge to get any information from him.

"Ms. Matthews is in stable condition. We removed the bullet, and barring any complications, she should make a full recovery."

Billie felt the knot that had been sitting solidly in her stomach since everything went down twisted, dissolve. She took a deep breath. "When can I see her?"

"She's in recovery right now. They should be taking her down to a room in about an hour. Detective Chambers if this is official business then please keep in mind the last thing she needs right now is to stress. I'll let you see my patient but on the condition that you do nothing to exacerbate the situation."

"No, I promise, I just want to check on her."

The doctor's expression softened. "All right, but keep it short."

Sara was almost as pale as the sheets she was laying under, and Billie tried to ignore all the machines attached to her. Her eyes were closed but she opened them when Billie closed the door behind her. The smile was weak, but it was there.

"Billie."

Billie leaned over and gently placed a kiss on her forehead. "Hi."

She frowned. "What happened? I don't remember. Just, guns." She shifted restlessly. "Cass and Letty?"

"They're okay." She didn't know if Sara didn't remember she'd already asked or if she was still worried. "Things went little crazy, you know, but it's all good. We got everybody we needed to get, and didn't lose anybody." She brushed Sara's hair back off her forehead gently. "You just think about getting better. We have a lunch date to keep."

That got her a small, tired smile. "Hmm. Good." Her eyes drifted closed again and Billie waited a moment until she could see that Sara had fallen asleep again. She sat in the chair next to the bed, watching her, hand occasionally drifting out to trace gently over the pale skin.

The nurse showed up not to long after and kicked her out. Billie went outside and called Deaq to let him know what was going on. He gave her an update of the shit they were dealing with but promised her there was really nothing she could be doing there and she might as well stay right where she was. She had a couple of hours before the next visiting time so she ran home. Showered, changed clothes and grabbed something to eat. Fast food but better than the cafeteria food. An extra large Starbucks and a couple of magazines accompanied her back to the hospital and she parked herself in the waiting room. She was in for the long haul, in more ways than one.

 

&&&&&&&&&&

 

For a few seconds she was soaring, wind whipping through her hair, then Billie hit the ground with a grunt, wincing at the sharp pain as her knee scraped against a half buried rock. She rolled over and quickly looked down. Yep, there was blood. That meant another lecture from her mother about the way ladies shouldn't scar up their legs. She stood up, testing the knee. It didn't really hurt so that meant she could wait until curfew to go back home. Her mother would grumble for a little while, but she'd still let Billie out to play tomorrow, which was the important thing.

She glanced up to the top of the bridge where her sister stood staring down apprehensively. "Kat, come on! Jump." She watched with disdain only an eight year old can show as her sister moved to the edge and scrambled down the railing instead.

"You're such a wuss, Kat." No one would ever believe Kat was two years older than her as timid as she was. Any adventures they had, and any trouble they got into was usually instigated by Billie.

Kat shook her head, shoving her glasses up farther on her nose. "One of these days Billie, you're gonna break something, just like Mama said."

Billie shrugged. "So, it'll heal."

"It's still gonna hurt. A lot." Kat skipped backwards, away from her with a grin. "Plus it might not get better. It might rot." She grimaced. "They might have to cut it off. And then you could have a hook, or a peg leg."

Billie laughed, chasing her. "Good! Then I can be a pirate, and we can live on a ship."

"You can't even swim."

"Can to."

"Uh-un. Dog paddling don't count."

Billie caught up to her sister and gave her a semi gentle shove. Just cause she was older, Kat thought she knew everything. "Does too. You don't know."

A constant low beep woke Billie. For a minute, when she realized she was at the hospital she thought it was her sister's heart monitor, but then she came fully awake and realized it was the alarm on her phone. For Sara. She glanced at her watch. Visiting hours were in about ten minutes. Billie got up and went to the bathroom, splashing her face with cold water. She stared at herself in the mirror, wondering what she was doing.

When she was little she did believe that there was nothing she could break that wouldn't heal. She thought it would always be worth it to jump. Until she lost her sister, and realized that her heart didn't count in that. She'd spent the years since then, standing on the edge, afraid to take that leap. Now, she was going to close her eyes and jump one more time. Somewhere she thought, Kat was laughing.

 

&&&&&&&&&&

 

Deaq and Van finally got things straightened out enough so that the Feds and Hill were willing to cut the girls loose. They were going to be un-tangling stories and connections for the next few days at least, but the girls had each given their statement, and they had everything mostly on tape anyway, thanks to them. They would get Sara's story when she was able and though there was minor objection, Deaq wished them good luck getting through Billie to get to her one second sooner than she was ready.

They got the girls packed up and offered them rides, which they both turned down.

"Hey, we got here on our own right?" Letty took off with a jaunty wave. "It's been a slice guys. If you ever get the urge to hit the circuit, check in at Toretto's. "

Cassidy sighed, glancing at the two of them."Well, I guess this is it."

Van rubbed a hand along the back of his neck and glanced at Deaq. Deaq returned the look with a raised brow. He knew Van would probably appreciate a little privacy, but he wasn't getting it. He wasn't about to leave the two of them alone, so whatever it was Van wanted to say to her, he'd have to say in front of Deaq. "You sure you don't want a ride somewhere?"

She grinned wistfully "Not the kind you're willing to give me."

Cassidy leaned up, throwing both arms around Van's neck and pulling him down into a kiss. Deaq leaned against the post, arms loosely folded, doing his best to appear nonchalant and not like he wanted to snatch her the hell away from Van. It wasn't so much that he wasn't sure of Van, mostly, but the boy had a weakness for sad eyes and a sob story because of Ray Ray. That was something Deaq was going to have to deal with if he was in it for the long hall. Which he was. It didn't mean he was going to like it and it didn't mean he wasn't going to keep protecting Van from himself.

Fortunately for Deaq's peace of mind, Van gently pushed Cassidy away. She reached up and brushed a hand over his mouth, wiping away the faint traces of pink lipstick. "You sure you won't change your mind? We never did make it to Mexico."

"I'm sure."

Cassidy shrugged. "Too bad. It would have been a blast."

Van grinned and tapped her nose. "You keep that clean this time."

Her own grin was wide and only a little wistful. "You know it."

She walked over to him, and Deaq was surprised when she planted a soft kiss on his cheek, then leaned in, whispering in his ear. "You are a lucky man, Deaqon Hayes." Cassidy glanced back to where Van was watching them warily. "Take care of him." The last part was said out loud, and Deaq wasn't quite sure who she was talking to.

She stepped away from him and grabbed her bag , leaving with a last flirty grin in Van's direction. He stood watching as she left and Deaq came up behind him, wrapping his arms around Van's waist.

"Were you tempted?"

"Maybe by Mexico."

He couldn't help the sharp pang of relief he felt. "Well that I can help you with."

Van turned around in his arms. "Yeah?"

"Yeah. We're do some real vacation time. I don't see why we can't spend it downing margaritas."

"Sounds like a plan."

"Good." He leaned in and kissed Van, mouth washing away any traces of Cassidy with his own taste. "Maybe we should think about making some other plans too."

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm saying that really is a piddling hotel room. My place is gonna seem pretty empty now that the 'Glow' girls are gone."

Van laughed, his whole face a beacon of happiness, and Deaq thought he'd do anything to keep it that way. "All you had to do was ask."

 

&&&&&&&&&&

 

Letty found Billie in the waiting room outside of Sara's hospital room. She looked up with a warm smile when Letty called her name. "Hey!"

"Hey. I didn't want to head out without saying good bye."

"I'm glad." She leaned back against the wall, and Letty could see the circles of exhaustion under her eyes. She was still pretty fucking gorgeous though and Letty resisted the urge to brush the hair off her forehead and out of her face. Billie was strictly a fly over zone now, and Letty respected Sara enough to keep it that way.

"Did you see Sara?"

"Uh huh. Told her to watch that jumping in front of bullets crap."

Billie flashed her a grin, "I told her the same thing."

Letty eyed her intently. "You're gonna be watching out for that from now on right?"

Billie shrugged with a rueful grin. "I think maybe so." She sobered. "I'm sorry this didn't work out for you."

"We didn't get your dirty cop either."

"Yeah, but you know it was always meant to go down this way on our part. Just happened sooner than we planned."

"So, Hill is gonna keep his word to Cassidy and Sara?"

"We'll make sure he does. He's pretty happy right now actually." She grinned. "Well except for having to deal with the Feds. He thinks either the AGs are gonna roll over on him, they're they're gonna try and contact him as soon as they're out on bail, or he's gonna panic and show his hand. We still have the bugs you managed to plant in the house, so either way, we have a good chance of getting him."

"That's good."

Calder had managed to get away. The Feds weren't happy about that. They had the girl's testimony, the AGs too if they could get them to talk but they'd still have to actually get their hands on Calder for any of it to matter. They were using that as an excuse for this one not being enough to get Dom a pass. Letty was pissed, but none of it was Billie's fault. "Hey, Next one for me, right?"

"Yeah. Just. Be careful okay."

She reached out with one arm and grabbed Billie, pulling her into a tight hug. She'd admit she'd gotten more attached than she expected. To all of them really, but especially to Billie.

"You too."

 

&&&&&&&&&&

 

Billie watched her leave. Letty had been a moment in time she couldn't regret but they'd both gone in knowing it was nothing more than that. Thinking about what she'd gained, Billie wasn't the least bit sad. She turned and headed into the hospital room towards her future.


End file.
